Fear and Fear Itself
by AlwaysForeverDreamer
Summary: Vivi learns the meaning of courage.


**Disclaimer**: All Final Fantasy Nine characters, places and situations are the property of Square Soft/Square Enix and are used without permission and without intent of plagiarism or profit. Copyright for all original stories, characters, and situations is with the author, and may not be published, copied, distributed or archived without the author's prior written consent.

This story is the pinnacle of my writing in high-school. I've chosen not to edit this story, even though it's not exactly in line with my current style and abilities. This story really has a special place in my heart. This is complete but in the future I may add a second chapter and edit it to my current standards so anyone that's curious can see the difference between my styles

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Another crackle and more electricity surged past them to create another crater in the ground. Garnet shrieked, that one had almost hit her. Freya charged towards the enemy once again, trying to distract them long enough for Garnet to cast healing spells on Steiner and Quina. Eiko was on the far side of the field, she'd given her all with summonings already and Zidane, tough as he was, was fading fast. He lunged forward to slash at the enemy again. Vivi, he was frozen to the spot, terrified of the beast towering over them.

_It's okay to be scared._

Zidane went spinning away from the beast and skidding through the dirt to lie near the already unconscious Amarant. He rose up onto his knees with some difficulty and gave the man beside him a shake, Amarant had been attacked from behind before they'd known the beast was there. The red-head wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.

_Really?_

Eiko jumped into the path of the monsters attack to shield Zidane, using the last of her strength to summon once more in an attempt to shield herself. It worked, just barely though, if she couldn't jump so well she would have been sent crashing into Zidane. Now she stood on the far side of them, barely standing as she tried to get Zidane onto his feet. Freya hit it again but this time she was sent flying. If it didn't end soon…

_Yeah, everyone gets scared, from child to warrior, even me._

A flame erupted around the monster, swallowing him and charring away at his armor-like hide. Slowly he turned towards the small mage, the only one left standing unscathed. The lumbering giant took a step towards him, turning his back on the thief and the summoner.

"Hey, bozo, over here!"

Zidane tried to jump to his feet but he didn't have that kind of strength left, even with his new found adrenaline.

_You get scared?_

Vivi stood his ground, raising his staff above his head and calling upon more flames to canvas the creature coming towards him. Even that hadn't stopped him, Vivi hadn't really expected it to. Now the beast was looking directly at him. Freya landed another blow to it from behind, that seemed to be effective, it swung one of those club-like arms though and she was sent skidding back, as weak now as the others.

_Of course, everyone's scared of something._

Vivi threw another spell at it, ice this time. The monster stopped moving for a moment. Only a moment though then it lurched forward again. Vivi raised his staff once more, the beast looked ready to topple over. He'd let that fool him. He threw another ice spell but before it had made contact one of those arms made contact with him.

_What are you scared of?_

As the monster was falling, Vivi went flying. He was so small it didn't take much to move him to begin with let alone something moving faster than most airships and just as heavy.

"Vivi!"

"Master Vivi!"

"Vivi!"

The voices chorused as they got up, injured or not and ran after the mage. He had finally come to a rest several yards away, lying in a tangled heap.

"Vivi!" Zidane was the first there. He knelt down beside the mage, fishing around in his pockets for any healing item he could find, but Eiko and Garnet had come within range already and were casting a spell between them.

_I'm scared of a lot of things. _

The mages eye's open and around him a collective sigh resounded. He sat up, straightening out his hat and shirt.

"You saved us Vivi." Garnet knelt to hug him.

"Why'd you do it, you were safe back there, he didn't even see you." Zidane looked worried as he spoke.

"Because someone once told me, no one would get anywhere if they stopped and hid every time they got scared."

The thief smiled and looked around at the scene left from the fight. Maybe they could sell the hide in the next town and rest before they moved on.

Vivi sat at the far side of the camp. They were stopping for the night, the trek to town would be easier during daylight. Everyone else had gone to sleep hours ago. He couldn't though. Every time he closed his eyes something in the forest around them would move and frighten him. Finally he'd given up and sat peering out into the night and looking for any sign of movement that might alert him to a monster before it arrived. Apparently he wasn't the only one awake though.

"Vivi, we've got to be up early tomorrow, shouldn't you get some sleep?"

Zidane sat down by him, squinting out into the shadows.

"Nope, nothing, for a second I thought some girls had decided to bathe down there." He motioned to a pond off the side of the path.

Vivi said nothing and continued to stare until finally Zidane spoke again.

"Listen, what's wrong?"

"I…" Vivi paused for a while, Zidane just waited. "I'm scared."

"Of what, I'll find it and beat it with a stick."

There was silence for a while longer and Zidane sighed and put a hand on Vivi's head, tugging on it so he would look at him.

"I'm joking, I won't beat it with a stick if it won't help, but I'd like to know why my friend's sitting on a hill alone when he should be asleep."

"I'm scared of the dark, when I close my eye's I hear stuff and get scared."

"That's the great out-doors for you, never shuts up and when it does you should probably be running."

They sat in silence for a while longer before the thief spoke again.

"It's okay to be scared."

"Really?"

"Yeah, everyone gets scared, from child to warrior, even me."

"You get scared?"

"Of course, everyone's scared of something."

"What are you scared of?"

"I'm scared of a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Like…being the one to mess up a play or spiders, bugs in general, getting clocked for something I don't remember saying to a girl I'm not sure I've met. Stuff like that." He gave the mage a grin.

Vivi looked out over the grounds again. "I'm not scared of anything like that…I'm scared of being alone, the dark, no…more like being alone and facing what's hiding in the dark…"

"Like fear of the unknown?"

"No, not the unknown…not exactly…more like, what I know is or might be there and the circumstances I'll meet it under…it's complicated."

"Of course it is, fear isn't a simple emotion, I guess none of them are really but fear especially."

Vivi stared out into the darkness again.

"Why don't we talk like this more often?"

"I don't know, circumstances I guess, like sleep." Zidane stood up and stretched. "Okay, I've got an idea, get your sleeping bag and come lay near me. That way if something does come out of the dark you won't be alone when it does."

Vivi nodded and stood. He started to follow Zidane but stopped and looked back, somewhere out there the crickets had stopped chirping. He stared out at the trees. Something was there…

"Vivi."

Slowly he turned and picked up his sleeping bag and followed Zidane back to where he was sleeping and laid it out there.

"Goodnight, Vivi, if you get scared wake me up, I don't want you to just sit up alone." Vivi laid down and Zidane made sure the cover was pulled tight around him.

Whatever was out there in the dark could wait until morning.


End file.
